Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Gran Turismo 6: The Jaguar XKR-S and the Nissan GT-R

For several years, Jaguar had a long reputation of making comfortable, good-looking saloons only the posh would salivate for but for this Jaguar I tried on Gran Turismo 6, speed is the focus of the game.



This must be the new Jaguar XKR-S, the most powerful production sports car Jaguar has ever made. First of all, the aluminum quad-cam 5.0L AJ-V8 supercharged engine has been recalibrated to produce 542HP of power and 501.2ft-lb of torque. Yummy...

It can do 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and a top speed of over 300kph, making this the only Jaguar that has been permitted to the elite club of 300kph sportscar. As a matter of fact, that's almost as near as what most Ferraris do, meaning that's on the edge of Ferrari territory.

Then, there's the exhaust note and because of its supercharged V8 engine, it sounds like an American muscle car. So lairy, so crazy, and overall...Oh dear! I like a European V8 sportscar!





Despite sounding like a muscle car, the XKR-S still behaves like a sportscar because of its hard suspension, adaptive dynamics, and the active differential which is programmed to alter slip ratios, differential torque distribution, and intervention levels, letting drivers push this car to the absolute limits. It's all science and maths but still the Jaguar XKR-S is no GCSE or some physics lessons. It feels like it puts the fizz into physics and this car that Jaguar does what nitro does for glycerin.

No wonder some Brainiacs could recite the promo video of the car. Ahem..."This isn't about image. This design is driven by geometry and physics". Oh Benedict Cumberbatch....





To make sure people don't mistake the S for the ordinary XKR, it comes with a carbon rear spoiler, 20-inch alloy wheels, leather that looks like carbon fiber, sports seats, blue ambient lighting, and some added aerodynamics. What annoys me is the red brake calipers because it looks inappropriate for a Jag like this. Aside from the added aerodynamics, the XKR-S looks a bit of a show-off to me. It can be a sportscar but it feels so overrated to me.





I know, I love driving this Jaguar just a bit longer but when it gets too much for me, the XKR-S seems a bit more of an overrated rather than an underrated when it comes to being a show-off car. You can enjoy it a little longer but not at all because there are times you're going to fed up with this car unless if its necessary. Even though it's still overrated, I'm still liking to the XKR-S grit because this is still the Jag I love to drive on Gran Turismo 6.



With the XKR-S, it seems that Jaguar has sacrificed most of its subtlety and good looks in the pursuit of speed but if it's speed, I wonder, how come you're not interested over...the Nissan GT-R?



For years, the flagship of Nissan, the GT-R, had gone through several revisions to make it into the completed piece you see now. Legend has it that this Japanese supercar can outrun numerous sportscars even those that are five times the price such as the Lexus LFA, the Mercedes SLS, or the Ferrari 458. With the GT-R scored numerous awards and the recognition of being the perfect machine, its success prompted Nissan to begin development on the next generation platform but its high hopes can't be contained in the middle of a race.



Sure, I might tell you about how it's made on the hermetically-sealed factory and all of the components are heated to the same temperature before assembly so they're in the same state of thermal expansion and how the tires are filled with nitrogen because it's more stable than air and how it went round the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 20 seconds but I'm not gonna do that even though I just did.



What I'm gonna do here is doing drag race at a quarter mile straight of the Ascari Race Resort. Anyone familiar with what I just did to these two should better sit comfortably because what I did is simple. Even though the XKR-S has a few more power than the GT-R, the GT-R not only leave the XKR-S to dust, it demolished it.



There is this weird theory about how did the GT-R managed to get off the line quickly and probably because of the Launch Control feature, a feature in a form of a computer that sorts everything out for you so when you plant your foot out, it sets off in a perfect line. Clever but unintelligentable for a Brainiac who wishes to use it. Some say, a Brainiac would have a launch control by himself.



But still, it's a great car. I'm still loving this Japanese supercar a lot. The double-clutch gearbox works seamlessly, the VR38DETT engine is not an engine, it's just like putting ammonal in a gas cooker and then explodes when introduced to a toy robot holding a blow torch, the turning's not so bad, and overall, when you want to let loose in this car, the grip is mind-boggling.



It really is the perfect blend of technological and mechanical engineering. It truly is the best of both worlds and for Brainiacs playing GT6, it's still worth a white-knuckle ride if they're looking for thrills out of this car that always defy the laws of physics.





Despite everything, the GT-R still behaves like a proper saloon. Quiet and comfortable but not at all because it makes the noise that most racing machines produce but they're subdued in the background.



It's hard to fault this car because while the XKR-S was just a brogue that was converted into a training shoe, the GT-R was designed to be a training shoe in the first place for a much less. The GT-R is the ultimate instrument of speed while the XKR-S left me question why would Jaguar want to mimic the hardcore progress that Aston Martin has not to mention they have their own testing facility at the Nurburgring.

Still, with the GT-R, you'll get the impression that this car is very clever but a bit serious. If you have one of these, go out and see if NISSAN's ultimate masterpiece still has the potential to rack up the points!

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